Maternity allowance and maternity leave as an employee or unemployed person
Are you expecting a child and are you employed or unemployed? You may be entitled to a maternity allowance: financial support during your maternity leave. This way, you can fully enjoy your baby without worrying about your income.
Applying for maternity allowance and leave as an employee or unemployed person
During your maternity leave (also known as maternity rest), you may be entitled to a maternity allowance. The maternity allowance is a replacement income paid to you by Helan during your maternity leave or maternity rest. Start your application before the birth. Your maternity leave is arranged through your employer.
At the beginning of your pregnancy, you provided your employer with a medical certificate stating the expected due date. This also serves as proof for the start of your maternity leave.
- Log in to My Helan
- Select the section “Work incapacity and benefits”
- Click on “Incapacitated for work or expecting a baby”
- Follow the step-by-step module
Send us a medical certificate from your treating physician or a certificate from Child and Family (Kind en Gezin), either digitally or by post (Helan health insurance fund, Boomsesteenweg 5, 2610 Wilrijk), stating your expected due date and whether you are expecting a single or multiple birth.
- For a single birth, you can submit this at the earliest 6 weeks before the expected due date.
- For a multiple birth, you can submit this at the earliest 8 weeks before the expected due date.
Via My Helan you complete your benefits information form yourself. Do this immediately so we can process your file faster. Based on the information in your form, we calculate the amount of your maternity allowance.
As soon as your maternity leave starts, Helan requests the benefits information form from:
- your employer (if you are an employee)
- or your unemployment benefits fund (if you are unemployed)
We check whether you are entitled to a maternity allowance as a replacement for your salary (employee) or unemployment benefit (unemployed).
If your file is in order, you will receive a letter with the exact daily amount and we will start the payments.
You receive the birth certificate from the civil registry office of your municipality when you register the birth.
Send us a copy of the birth certificate (you must keep the original document):
- digitally
- or by post to Helan health insurance fund, Boomsesteenweg 5, 2610 Wilrijk.
Is your allowance file complete?
Would you like to know whether everything is in order for the payment of your maternity allowance? Follow your file status and subscribe to payment notifications in My Helan. You will immediately see whether an allowance has been paid out.
Duration of maternity leave
You are expecting one child: you are entitled to 15 weeks of maternity leave
- You may take your optional prenatal leave from 6 weeks before the expected due date. If you are absent during this period due to a public holiday, vacation, or days of short leave, these days are not deducted from your maternity leave.
- You are required to stop working 1 week before the due date and therefore take 1 week of mandatory prenatal leave. If you give birth earlier, the remaining days are permanently lost.
- The remaining weeks of postnatal leave are taken after the birth.
You are expecting multiples: you are entitled to 19 weeks of maternity leave
- You may take your optional prenatal leave from 8 weeks before the expected due date.
- You are required to stop working 1 week before the due date and therefore take 1 week of mandatory prenatal leave. If you give birth earlier, the remaining days are permanently lost.
- The remaining weeks of postnatal leave are taken after the birth.
Are you self-employed? You are also entitled to a maternity allowance.
Find out which conditions and benefits you can expect as an expectant mother for your maternity leave and maternity allowance.
Amount of maternity allowance
The maternity allowance is a replacement income paid by Helan during your maternity leave. The amount of the benefit depends on your salary (employee) or unemployment benefit (unemployed).
Employee
First 30 days
- If you have a contract on the start date of your maternity leave, your maternity allowance amounts to 82% of your average daily wage.
- If you do not have a contract on the start date of your maternity leave, your maternity allowance amounts to 79.5% of your average daily wage (with a ceiling).
From day 31 onwards
Your maternity allowance amounts to 75% of your average daily wage (with a ceiling).
Unemployed person
First 30 days
A basic benefit equal to the amount of your unemployment benefit, supplemented by 19.5% of your gross unemployment benefit.
From day 31 onwards
- A basic benefit equal to the amount of your unemployment benefit, supplemented by 15% of your gross unemployment benefit.
- On the RIZIV website you can find more information about how the calculation is made.
Maternity allowance payment schedule
This calendar shows you on which day you will receive your maternity benefit.
Frequently asked questions about maternity allowance and leave
If you resume work or unemployment before your maternity leave ends, provide Helan with a certificate of return to work. You can easily submit this digitally via My Helan, or by post (Helan health insurance fund, Boomsesteenweg 5, 2610 Wilrijk).
If you are an employee and are pregnant or breastfeeding, you may temporarily stop working completely or partially through preventive removal from work. Preventive removal from work is only available for women who are professionally exposed to hazardous substances or who work in an environment that is dangerous for the mother and/or child.
It may happen that you become incapacitated for work before your expected due date.
In that case, you must report your incapacity for work to Helan. The sick days you take before the start of your maternity leave can be taken after the birth, allowing you to extend your postnatal leave.
You may extend your maternity leave
- If your baby is still hospitalised 7 days after birth, or is admitted to the hospital within 7 days after birth and must remain hospitalised after this 7-day period, you may apply for an extension of your maternity leave.
- The extension is limited to a maximum of 24 weeks and may not be interrupted.
How to apply for the extension?
- Apply for the extension through the mother’s health insurance fund: provide a hospital certificate stating the duration of the baby’s hospital stay.
- Also inform your employer or unemployment benefits fund: at the end of your maternity leave, provide your employer or unemployment benefits fund with a hospital certificate confirming that the baby had to remain hospitalised for more than 7 days after birth and stating the duration of the hospital stay.
The maternity allowance is a replacement income. You must declare it in your annual tax return. A withholding tax of 11.11% is deducted from your allowance.
Expecting a baby
What do you need to arrange when you are expecting a baby? Our checklist helps you keep track of everything you need to take care of in the coming months.
More about other leave arrangements
Discover everything about pregnancy
Also check the central file: everything about pregnancy.